Vacuum engineering

From ArticleWorld

Vacuum engineering is the field of engineering that is involved in the development of technological methods and equipment that deploy the phenomenon of vacuum. Vacuum is applied in certain techniques in order to achieve superior results compared to the use of atmospheric pressure.

An understanding of vacuum technology is built on the basic knowledge of the behavior of gases at low pressures.

History and development of vacuum technology

The use of vacuum was first demonstrated by Torricelli, an Italian physicist, in the 17th century. He is also credited with having invented the mercury barometer for measuring air pressure.

The first major use of vacuum technology was seen in the industry around the turn of the twentieth century. It was put to use for the manufacture of electric light bulbs. The vacuum tube, used before the invention of the transistor was another device that made use of vacuum. It was discovered after a great lot of research that vacuum techniques could achieve superior results than processes carried out at normal atmospheric pressure.

Vacuum engineering is widely deployed in development of nuclear technology and is proven useful in the production of radioactive metals such as titanium.

Measurement of vacuum

Vacuum can be measured in terms of atmosphere units. One standard atmosphere corresponds to 760 mm of mercury, or 760 torr (named after Torricelli). The SI unit of air pressure is used to denote the level of vacuum in terms of the unit newton per meter square (N/m--2), which is called pascal.

Applications of Vacuum engineering

Vacuum engineering has wide application in fields as varied as the heavy industry and medicine. Some of the major ones are listed below:

1. Vacuum is used for suction pads that are deployed for lifting heavy items.
2. Processes like vacuum packing, degassing of oils, impregnation of materials and concentration of aqueous solutions make use of vacuum.
3. At pressures as low as 10 -4 torr, there are several metallurgical processes that are carried out. These processes include melting, casting and heat treatment for mechanical strength. They greatly benefit from the vacuum environment.
4. Techniques used in pharmaceutical processes make use of vacuum for preparing and storing vaccines.
5. The food industry makes use of vacuum to store foods without refrigeration.
6. Vacuum engineering is used in the electronic industry to deposit electronic circuits on silicon chips.